Alessandro Ballan makes his debut at the EPIC Gran Canaria: a world champion arrives in cycling paradise

The most popular cycling sports event in the south of Gran Canaria, the EPIC Gran Canaria RIU Hotels & Resorts, returns in style after completing the maximum capacity of 500 places in less than 48 hours and with more than 300 already on the waiting list. This edition, which will be held on 8 and 9 February, will have a world champion on its starting line, Alessandro Ballan, who will debut in this test integrated into the international UCI calendar and the Gran Fondo World Tour circuit.

 

The new edition of the EPIC Gran Canaria Hotels & Resorts has once again outdone itself by adding new stars of this sport, consolidating its international leap with two privileged cycling stages, which run along several of the most popular routes on the island. Alessandro ballan He is one of the world champions who will make their debut this year, in what he has valued as "an opportunity to continue to be linked to cycling, enjoy a spectacular environment and share the experience with other cyclists, whether they are amateurs or professionals." For him world champion in 2008“Cycling is and remains a passion and in events like the EPIC where there is no pressure of professional competition, there is still the personal challenge of giving it your all”, as well as “contact with the cycling community” to be able to “experience the cordiality of the sport”.

 

Ballan, who has 12 UCI championship titles under his belt, has declared himself “motivated and very grateful” to be part of this event that will serve as a test of fire for his training in climbs and descents because the EPIC “is a good endurance session”. He will come to the island to “have fun and complete the route with satisfaction”, as he pointed out, “the routes of Gran Canaria are incredible, they combine the beauty of the landscape with the technical challenge of the climbs and descents” so for those who, like him, “love hard races, this route is simply perfect”.

 

 

 

 

“My experience in the classics taught me to manage effort, a lesson I will also apply to the EPIC. Knowing when to attack and when to conserve energy is crucial. In addition, the mentality I developed in my professional career helps me stay focused in the most difficult moments.” Although he is grateful not to have pressure, the level will be high, with several greats of the sport already confirmed. “The EPIC Gran Canaria combines a challenging course with impeccable organisation and an extraordinary natural environment. I am sure it will be an unforgettable experience.”

 

Ballan will test himself in the midlands of Gran Canaria, which has a world champion in 2025, although he will not be the only one. Ballan, also known by his nickname, 'Bontempino', began to stand out in 2005, when his career became unstoppable. In 2008 he surprised in a very tough Vuelta with victory in the seventh stage, a prelude to his greatest title in September of that same year. In Varese, Italy, he was proclaimed world road champion after a tough attack in the final straight two kilometers from the finish, arriving alone and knocking out the big favorites of that edition.

 

First stage, the takeoff to Ayacata

 

Following the signature control, the first stage of the EPIC Gran Canaria RIU Htels & Resorts, on February 8, 2025, will have 115 kilometers of challenge and two timed sections, starting from the Maspalomas Dunes viewing point at the RIU Palace Maspalomas hotel to enjoy one of the island's favourite routes, passing through Arteara, Fataga, Tirajana, El Pajar and Pasito Blanco. The first timed section of this stage runs from Aqualand to Ayagaures, with the finish line at the top of Pedro González. This is a a time trial of 12,3 kilometers at 470 meters of altitude, the best pulse to start the test with a climb average inclination of 4,4%, and a cut-off time of 50 minutes. 

 

The second of the time trials will put the athletes to the test on a challenging climbing section between Pasito Blanco and Ayacata, with 45 kilometres and 1.304 metres of altitude. With an average gradient of 4,7%, this time trial will be the launching pad for cyclists seeking the coveted podium, with a challenge that passes through El Pajar, Cercados de Espino, Soria, Barranquillo Andrés, or the Las Niñas dam to close the stage at the top of Ayacata. 

 

Second stage, climbing to Tunte

 

The second of the stages will define the champions of 2025, in what promises to be the best sporting spectacle, with a demanding and fast stage of 75 kilometers of route, with a single timed section to give it all for the title. Starting from the RIU Palace Maspalomas hotel, the participants will have a stage ahead of them that starts from the Mirador, to Fataga and Tirajana to Tunte, with 925 meters of altitude, in a gradient of 810 meters and average slopes of 4%This timed section will decide the names of this edition, in a day of elite cycling on one of the most iconic cycle routes on the island.